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Friday, 15 May 2015

After updating the Moto E with the 3G and 4G variants of 2rd Generation Moto E. Now, Motorola reportedly preparing to launch to the next successor of Moto G line-up, i.e 3rd Generation Moto G. The company haven’t released any official statement, its exclusive partner Flipkart had the listed the device on their website.

According to the device listing the 3rd Generation of Moto G comes with the model number AP3560AD1K8, where the 2nd Generation Moto G has the model number XT1068 and 1st Generation Moto G have the model number as XT1033. There is no image of the device in the listing, but the colour of the device is confirmed as white.

The only specifications of the devices found as per the listing is the 8GB of internal storage. Other specifications are rumoured to be 5-inch or 5.2-inch FullHD (1920×1080) display, 64-bit Snapdragon 610 quad-core chipset with a clock speed of 1.7GHz and Adreno 405 GPU. It might have 2GB of RAM and also 4G LTE support.

There are no much details about the launch or the price of the device. The listing must be tested by Flipkart for getting ready for the launch date. We can anticipate the launching may be not so far. Motorola recently cut down the prices of Moto 360, 2nd Generation Moto X and also the 2nd Generation of Moto G. The Moto 360 is now priced at Rs.12,999 with a discount of Rs.5,000 and theMoto G (2nd Gen) is available for a special price of Rs.10,999 before it was priced at Rs.12,999. Limited time discount for Moto X (2nd Gen) 16/32GB variants is completed, they are now available at Rs.29,999 for 16GB variant and Rs.32,999 for 32GB variant.

There are rumours for the launch of 2nd Gen Moto 360 and 3rd Gen Moto X, where the later will be most probably launched in the month of September. Full specifications of the devices will be listed once there is a confirmed source.

So many browsers for smartphones in the Play Store, and it isn’t easy at all, to choose the best one. Many a times, users tend to stick to the default browser that comes pre-installed in the smartphone, as the worry is about storage and app clutter. But if they look at alternatives, the search isn’t easy. Here comes a situation where, a couple of the best browsers for Android are made similarly, but there are differences internally that have to be pointed out. We’re talking about Opera for Android, andOpera Mini for Android.

The major difference between the two browsers, is on how they compress the web page.

How is the data compressed?

Opera for Android: According to Opera, the browser here renders the data on the phone, and the non-HTTPS page content gets more compressed, on the Opera Turbo servers. Because of this, complex animations load just like on a normal web browser. Even for the cache, not every data is redownloaded, and it depends on the necessity.

Opera Mini: The compression of data is done on every aspect, text and images, to make it the lightest. Here, Opera Mini uses the servers of Opera to break down the web page and deliver it so as to reduce render time.

How much is the data compression?

Opera for Android: The compression is done based on how the network is, and how far is the phone from network tower, if the data network is being used. With this, about 50% of data savings is possible on average.

Opera Mini: The compression doesn’t depend on network availability, as the browser tries to compress the data by maximum, assuming you are on unstable networks. Here, about 90% of data savings is possible, because the ultimate aim is to just compress all the content.

How do they differ with experience?

The Opera for Android gives much better experience, because it doesn’t compress the data so much and the graphical content still loads perfectly. For those looking for a desktop-like experience in a smartphone while browsing the web, it is possible through Opera for Android. The HTML rendering makes it possible for the users to view javascript heavy content, even like Google maps, from the browser without much changes in the structure.

The Opera Mini, on the other side, doesn’t give a similar experience. It concentrates on maximum compression of page, and thus, it won’t be like how the website actually is.

What features are different

The compression in Opera for Android is kept as a count under the name “Opera Turbo”, while that on the Opera Mini is seen as “Data Savings”.

The number of search engines supported in the search bar is more in the Opera for Android browser.

While the “Speed Dial” and “Discover” sections are in different columns in Opera for Android, the Opera Mini has both of them in the same page, with Discover section below Speed Dial.

Opera Mini allows the user to set and read RSS feeds of websites right from the browser.

When to use

Having said everything about the functioning of these browsers, the question would be about when to use the Opera for Android, and when to use the Opera Mini browser. While the Opera for Android is a browser you should be using when you have good Internet connectivity, and want a better experience with almost everything loading without a compromise, the Opera Mini browser for Android is one you should be using while travelling when the connectivity is not good, or when data charges are high, or even when the smartphone you are using, cannot handle high content website in the browsers.

Both the browsers are good, but they solve different purposes, and thus, it is recommended to use the desired browser based on the requirement and the situation.

Samsung has launched a new Qi wireless charging pad alongside Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge. The flagship smartphones support Qi and PMA wireless charging out of the box. The wireless charging pad by Samsung is priced at $49.99 and it is available in dark blue or white colour options. The Samsung Wireless Charging Pad is 0.75-inches wide, and about .75-inches thick and has a 5-foot long charging cable and 5V / 2A charging brick included in the box.

The Samsung Wireless Charging Pad is Qi certified by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) and is compatible with all Qi-enabled devices including from Samsung: Galaxy S 5, Galaxy S 4, Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note Edge and Galaxy Note 3 as well as the Galaxy S 6 and Galaxy S 6 Edge, which do not require additional charging battery doors.

Update: LG has officially launched the Magna smartphone in Greece. The smartphone has been priced at 249 Euros.We can see the launch in other European countries in the coming days. The device which was first showcased at MWC 2015 and was launched in India last month with a price tag of Rs.16,500.

There is no 4G variant launched in Greece, which already has LTE network. Even in India the 3G variant is only listed on the official LG website. The smartphone is priced at €249 (Rs.18,000), for a Mediatek MT6582 powered smartphone the price at which LG has launched was a bit high.

LG has just made the LG Magna smartphone available in India. The smartphone has been priced at Rs. 16,500. The smartphone was launched globally during MWC 2015 in February along with the LG Joy, the LG Leon, and the LG Spirit.

The LG Magna features a 5-inch HD (720×1280 pixels)resolution curved display with a pixel density of 294ppi. The back of the device is curved. It is powered by 1.3GHz quad-core processor coupled with 1GB of RAM. It is a dual-SIM phone and runs on the Android 5.0 Lollipop.

On the camera front, it has an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera with CMOS sensor and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. It has 8GB of inbuilt storage expandable via microSD card (up to 32GB), and a 2540mAh battery. The smartphone measures 139.7×69.9×10.2mm and is available in Blue, White and Black colour variants.

While the smartphone has both 3G and 4G LTE Cat. 4 network variants, the 3G variant has been launched in India, as per the company page listing. The smartphone comes with rear buttons placed right below the camera. A number of LG’s Quick Circle cases are also available for the smartphone. The company has not yet announced availability details for the smartphone in India.

Update: Recently we have seen few leaks about a new Redmi device codenamed ‘Xiaomi H3Y’. If the latest leaks are to be believed, it will be the successor for the Redmi Note, and we will see the metallic design for the first time in Redmi series. The project is named as Hermes and the device sports a FullHD (1920×1080) display, the size of the device is unknown but we expect it to be 5.5-inch display.

The smartphone will be powered by 64-bit Mediatek MT6795 octa-core processor with 2GB of RAM. It supports dual SIM and runs on Android 5.0 or 5.1 Lollipop based MIUI 6. The rear camera is of 13MP which uses Samsung’s S5K3M2 sensor and for Selfie it has 5MP front-facing camera that comes with OmniVision OV5670 sensor.

If the leaks come out true, the Redmi Note 2 may include USB Type-C port and it will the second Android device to feature a USB Type-C port only after to LeTV’s ‘Le Super Phones’. We will update the post with the confirmed specifications once there is information from the company.

According to a latest report, the Redmi Note 2 will feature a 5.5-inch 1080p (1920 x 1080) display along with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of inbuilt storage (which you’ll probably be able to expand). This handset will ship with a 3,100mAh battery and will come with Android 4.4 KitKat pre-installed with MIUI 6 on top of it.

On camera front, 13-megapixel sensor will be located at the rear of this handset while you’ll be able to find a 5-megapixel snapper on the front side of this device. Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 will be powered by Qualcomm’s 64-bit Snapdragon 615 processor. The latest rumour says that the phone will cost only 899 Yuan ($145).

Last week, the images of alleged Redmi Note 2 appeared online. From the images, it is evident that the successor to the Redmi Note will have the LED Flash and camera sensor located on the left corner at the top, rather than at the centre like the current generation Redmi Note.

The Note 2 will compete with Meizu’s recently released M1 Note handset which is priced at 999 Yuan ($161). M1 Note comes with a 5.5-inch IGZO display with a 1080p resolution, Gorilla Glass 3, a 13-megapixel f/2.2 main camera with dual-tone flash, a 5-megapixel f/2.0 front-facing camera and a nice 3,140 mAh battery. It’s powered by MediaTek’s MT6752 chipset with an octa-core 64-bit ready processor, a Mali T760 MP2 GPU, 2GB of RAM and FDD-LTE radio (TD-LTE also supported for the China versions). The M1 Note runs on Meizu’s heavily customized Flyme 4.1 based on Android 4.4.4.

If latest reports are to be believed, Redmi Note 2 is likely to be released as early as between 21 and 28 January, 2015.

Thursday, 14 May 2015

Update, May 14: The Material Design update has now hit thePlay Store version of Whatsappfor Android, meaning it will soon rollout to thehundreds of millions of peoplethat use Whatsapp every day. This is the same version that was made available through Whatsapp’s website last month.

Original post, April 14:

Following the general rollout of the voice calling feature, WhatsApp is pushing out the second big update in the past three weeks, and this time it’s all about appearance. Yes, WhatsApp is finally going Material.

The updated version is currently only available from WhatsApp’s site, but the Play Store should get in line pretty soon. If you don’t want to wait, updating is as easy as visiting the WhatsApp download site from your phone, downloading the latest APK file, and installing the app (sideloading needs to be enabled from Settings.)

So, what’s new here? While the general layout of the user interface remains the same, the new Whatsapp features many Material elements, without going overboard. The new color scheme uses a dark green from the Material palette, and the iconography and typography are now adhering to Google’s guidelines.

There are many small animations, with slides and fades spicing up what would otherwise be a rather boring experience. The main bar, which houses the search, action, and overflow buttons now slides away when scrolling down through the list of contacts or recent calls, but the menu bar sticks on.

Details like the way notification numbers clear away when you tap them or the way the microphone icon goes to the thrash can when you dismiss a voice mail further add to a fun experience.

Overall, this isn’t a major departure from the experience you had before, but the simple implementation of Material does make Whatsapp look more modern and fresh.

Again, you can either wait for the update to hit the Play Store or get your up to date APK file straight from Whatsapp. Let us know your thoughts on the redesign!

Move over Knock Codes and fingerprint scanners, Japan’s NTT DoCoMo has unveiled its new Arrows NX F-04G smartphone that uses iris scanning as its security method of choice. The novel smartphone was announced on Wednesday in Tokyo and was developed by Fujitsu.

Not only can the iris scanner be used to unlock the phone, but it is also integrated to authorize mobile payments. The device works with authentication specifications set by the FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) Alliance, which is supported by Microsoft, Google, PayPal and others.

To save their profile or begin a scan, users simply look at two animated circles on the screen. The scan time takes one or two seconds, making it a tad slower than a fingerprint scanner or traditional pin, but not by enough to make it difficult to use. Fujitsu said that the error rate for the bulkier prototype is about one in 100,000, and the actual product should be even better.

The Arrows NX F-04G also comes with some other high-end technologies. It features a 5.2-inch WQHD (2560×1400) display, 21.5 megapixel rear camera, and a 3,120 mAh battery, housed in a modest form factor that weighs just 155 grams. The smartphone will be release in Japan at the end of the month with a price tag around ¥55,000 (US$460), making it the first handset to hit the market with this technology. However, it won’t see the light of day outside of the country.

We may well see more iris scanning technology in future smartphones, as ZTE has already also shown off a similar eye-based unlocking system with its Grand S3 and Samsung filed a patent for its own iris scanning technology last year.